Review: Christmas at the Comfort Food Cafe

Christmas at the Comfort Food Cafe by Debbie Johnson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Hmm, you know when you really get into a series and then the dreaded book comes where you dislike one of the characters? This is the one for me.

Becca Fletcher is the younger sister of Laura, the subject of the first book Summer at the Comfort Food Cafe. Always the rock-n roll chick, the wild child, the girl most likely to [insert doomsday scenario]. We saw her as Lizzie's confidant in the first book, always joking about wild parties, drugs and booze. The reality is somewhat different. Unbeknown to the rest of the world Becca gave up all of that the night her brother-in-law David died.

Now it's almost Christmas, Becca's least favourite time of the year, and she is finally coming to Dorset to spend Christmas with Laura and her children and her new man, Matt and the rest of the villagers as they prepare for Cherie Moon and Farmer Frank's Christmas Eve wedding at the cafe.

Almost from the first chapter I found Becca a difficult to like character and frankly I never warmed to her. Her entire life, one way or another, appeared to be one of secrecy and self-absorption - funnily enough she came across as more likeable in the first book where she supported Laura and helped her to understand what Lizzie was doing and feeling! Indeed, Laura sees Becca as this feisty, sarcastic, funny free-spirit, down with the kids and rocking her life whereas what we see in this book is a miserable woman afraid to embrace life and love.

Laura had already sent photos of hunky Sam to Becca as a possible boyfriend in the first book, but that didn't explain to me why Sam found Becca so attractive. As I recall the book my over-riding impression is of Becca sitting in a corner, drinking diet coke and not participating in ANYTHING. You know, like that one 'friend' you have who just sucks all the fun out of an evening?

And dare I say it, I found Becca's reason for hating Christmas to be predictable and signalled from a long way off.

Anyway, just my opinion, others may love Becca and Sam.

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